Coming Clean
by LilyGhost
Summary: Stephanie decides that her life is in need of fixing, and starts taking control of it by finally dealing with the issues she's been avoiding. Babe story.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm planning on this being a four-part story about Stephanie facing the difficult things in her life. Her personal relationships, her mother, and the Burg rumor mill. Anything familiar belongs to Janet Evanovich. The mistakes are mine.**

Well, it's finally happened. The world was about to end. Hell was seconds away from freezing over. And I'm sure pigs would be flying by at any moment. But I, Stephanie Plum, have finally decided to grow up. No one is more surprised about this than me. But I woke up today with a clear head and a purpose. Okay, three purposes. The first one was on his way home.

I had let myself in, probably for the last time, with the key he had given me. I knew this was going to be hard, but it was time. No more taking the easy way out or just going along with whatever someone else wanted. I needed for it to end. Today.

We've become so used to each other being there, that we've begun taking for granted that we always would be. And we've begun taking _each other _for granted, too. I didn't want that for Joe. And I definitely didn't want that for myself.

So that's why I was sitting here waiting on the couch in Morelli's living room next to his dog, Bob. Well, Bob used to be_ my _dog, but he and Morelli have been living happily together since about a week after I got stuck dogsitting him. I guess it turned out to be a good thing, because I didn't want to have to go through a custody battle on top of telling him that we were over.

Morelli came in about fifteen minutes after I'd gotten there. He dropped a kiss on the top of my head as he came into the room before heading right back out of it and going to the kitchen for a cold beer. If this would have been a few months ago, he would have pulled me to my feet and kissed me for a full five minutes before my shirt came off and hit the floor. Now we were getting perilously close to becoming affectionate roommates instead of the hot couple we started out as. The thought of settling for that kind of relationship had scared me more than I thought it could.

I followed him into the kitchen and stood next to him with my back against the counter. This wasn't going to be a sitting down conversation. Joe knew me well enough to know that something was going on.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"Not yet, but I'm getting there. That's why I'm here actually." I took a moment to choose the words that I wanted to say; ones that he would have a hard time arguing with."We've been pretty much together for a while now," I began,"and it's been good between us, most of the time, but I can't help but think that if we were meant to stay together permanently, it would have happened by now."

"Cupcake, I've asked you to marry me, remember? You were the one who was freaking out and stalling about setting a date."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about," I said."Why do you think that I was more terrified than happy at the thought? If it was the right step for us, I think I would have felt differently. And don't forget that you weren't all that interested in marriage when we first started seeing each other."

"But I am, now."

"And that's part of the problem. I'm not. I don't know that I'll ever be, either. So I think it's for the best that we end it now while we still like one another, rather than waiting until we're both unhappy and purposely hurting each other."

"You honestly think it would come to that, Steph?" He asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," I said."We've already had more than a few fights that we never really resolved. So it stands to reason that a few more months of long hours, potential stalkers, and family pressure, would make our fights even worse."

Joe didn't say anything to that. I'm sure this came as a shock since, to him, it seemed like we were moving into the comfortable-married-couple stage of our relationship.

"This is about Manoso, isn't it?"

"No Joe," I said to him."For the first, time this is about me. What I want. And us just staying together because it's easy and familiar, isn't what I want."

"Is Ranger what you want?"

I was hoping he wasn't going to ask me that directly. I wasn't going to lie to him, but I didn't want to pour salt in the wound, either.

"If Ranger decided tomorrow that he never wanted to see me again, it wouldn't change what I'm doing here today. I want better for the both of us, Joe," I said."And if you weren't going to say it, then I had to. I want you to know that I tried," I said to him, squeezing the hand that was closest to me."I really, really tried to make this work, but I can't change who I am. Not even for you. And I refuse to ask you to give up what_ you _want for _me_. You need someone who is ready to settle down and start a family. And settling down is the last thing that I want to do right now. I went from my parents' house, to college, to marriage to the Dick, before getting sucked into this job. I still have a lot of things that I want to do with my life before I have someone else to take care of. That's even if I'm going to want the responsibility of having someone else to take care of. It's not right to keep you from having the life you want, because I can't decide on what I want for mine. I think it's better this way."

"I don't want to lose you, Steph," Morelli said."We don't have to figure everything out right now. Maybe you'll want that kind of life eventually. I can wait."

"That's just it," I told him."I don't want you to. You need to move on with your life, the same way I do. We can still see each other, but as_ friends_."

"I can't imagine finding someone better than you, Cupcake."

I smiled a little at that, since he sounded like he meant it.

"And I think you'll change you're mind once you've had the chance to really think about this, Steph," Joe said."At night, when you're sitting alone in your apartment, you'll start remembering everything we've been through and you'll want me back. And I'll be here."

My smile grew."Maybe I'll only remember all the late nights, bad food, and scary relatives, and then I'll move far away from Trenton."

"Could be," he said. He grabbed both of my hands in his and locked eyes with me. No longer joking."I want us to be together, Stephanie. Tell me what I can do to make that happen."

"I can't Joe," I told him,"because it's not about you. You have your goals in life and, as of this morning, I have mine and they don't match up."

"And your goals are?"

"Get better at my job. Get my mother off my back for good ..."

"Good luck with _that_."

I couldn't hold back a small laugh."I know. She's going to be worse once she finds out that we broke up, but I'm determined to get her to let up even if it kills me."

"It's good that you have a back up plan in place," Morelli said, smiling for the first time since I got there.

"Death?"

"Yup."

"Thanks for the help," I said, jabbing him in the ribs with my elbow.

"Anytime, Cupcake," he said, and I saw his face turn serious again_."Anytime_."

I felt a tear slide down my cheek, and I quickly wiped it away. No one ever said that doing the right thing would be easy. And today proved it."Thanks, Joe."

"I mean it, Steph, I'm here for you," Morelli said."If you want to give us another try. If you need a shoulder to cry on ..."

I knew what he was hinting at."I told you Ranger has nothing to do with this decision."

"If he doesn't have anything to do with it now, he will soon."

"Bye, Joe," I said. I leaned up to press a kiss to his mouth.

"I _will_ be seeing you soon, Cupcake."

I smiled at him. He'd make a great husband to someone someday, but it wouldn't be me. And I was sure he'd come to see that in time.

"Tell your mother I said hi," he said.

"You're scum, Morelli."

"But you love me anyway."

"Yeah, Joe, I do," I told him."That's why I had to do this. I hope you realize that."

"I know that you mean well, Cupcake," he said,"but I think you're wrong about us. And I plan on proving it."

I brushed my fingertips across the roughness of his cheek for a moment before turning and walking out of the house that everyone thought I'd be sharing someday.

I was going to miss this little row house, and the man and dog that lived inside of it, but I knew it wasn't where I was meant to spend the rest of my life. As I drove down Slater Street I said a silent goodbye to them, and to the last of my doubts that I'd made the wrong choice. I knew I hadn't, but it didn't make letting go any easier.


	2. Chapter 2

**I was going to go in a different direction with this chapter at first, but I wanted to keep everyone as close to character as possible while still letting them say what they needed to say to each other. All familiar people and places belong to Janet Evanovich. The mistakes are mine.**

**Chapter 2**

I pulled into the lot of the Shop n Bag and dug around in my shoulder bag for my cell. The next item on the New and Improved Stephanie Plum's list is to call Tank, Ranger's right hand man. I'd rather have three root canals and my earlobes removed without anesthesia than call Tank, but I didn't have many options.

It would be okay, I said to myself. I'd get Tank to meet with me without Ranger finding out. At least, I hoped it would be without Ranger finding out. And ask him the name of someone who could help me. It shouldn't take longer than ten minutes. Fifteen, tops. And then it would be over. I knew that I needed to become better at my job. And I knew that I'd need some help to do it. And there was no one better to help me with that than Ranger and his men, but I wanted to avoid any awkward moments between Ranger and I. Or between Ranger's men and me if the talk I planned to have with Ranger didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Training at Rangeman would force us to see more of each other than usual. Although I knew I wanted Ranger in my life no matter what happened, I also knew that at first it would be difficult to see him knowing that he didn't want me. So I needed a place that had the same standards as Rangeman; minus a Ranger, to help me.

What I said to Joe was true. My trying to fix my life had nothing to do with Ranger. Yes, I wanted him as my partner, but I also wanted to be a complete person without him. That meant taking responsibility of every part of my life. From my family, my personal relationships, to how I did my job. I needed to know that if Ranger rejected me, I would be able to move on with my life. And as much as I meant that, I prayed to God that I wouldn't need to.

I blew out the breath I'd been holding as I dialed Tank's number. I wasn't comfortable asking him for favors, but I didn't know who else would have an answer for me.

"Tank here," he said, his voice booming out into my car.

"Tank, it's Stephanie." I could almost hear the confusion and anxiety going through his mind as he tried to figure out why I was calling him.

"Ranger's in his office," he said."I can patch you through if you need him." He paused for moment as another thought occurred to him. His voice sharpened as he became more alert."Are you in trouble? Do you need backup?"

Of course he'd think that the only reason I'd call him would be if I needed help. After all, I've had his number for years and have only called him a handful of times. And while it was true that I needed help this time as well, it was a different kind entirely.

"I'm fine," I told him."I just wanted to discuss something with you and was wondering if you could meet me somewhere."

"You want to discuss something with _me_?"

"Yes," I told him."When you get off shift can you spare me a few minutes?"

"But the Boss ..."

"Doesn't have anything to do with this," I said."And he doesn't have to know."

"I don't think it's a good idea," Tank said.

Jeez. Tank was six and a half feet tall, had muscles growing out of muscles, and was even friends with Ranger, and yet he was still scared spitless of him. Then again, Ranger still scared _me _at times and I _knew _that he would never physically harm me. Tank wasn't so lucky.

"So do you have time?"

I think I may have heard him sigh a little."Where?"

"The Blue Bird?"

"Five o'clock," Tank said a second before hanging up. I was telling myself that Ranger must have come up behind him or something. I didn't want to believe that every Rangeman was required to have horrible phone manners.

I'd only been to the Blue Bird Luncheonette once since the whole Cone nightmare happened. The food was good, but the memories weren't. I'd picked the Blue Bird because it was outside of the Burg. And it wasn't a place I normally hung out, so the chances of bumping into someone I knew were slim. Plus I knew Tank would know where it was because of it's connection to me.

Well, at least I had one more thing I could check off. Okay, so I still had to talk to Tank face to face, but I thought the hardest part was over with. He said he would meet me. That had been the best case scenario. And the good news is that I now had somewhere to be this evening. I had a legitimate reason to leave my parents' house at a set time in case things didn't go well with my mother. And I wouldn't have to stay for dinner, either.

I wanted to be the one to tell her about my split with Morelli. And I had to somehow make her see that I was fine without him. That it was what _I_ wanted. She was going to burn the soles off of her shoes trying to gather a list of potential Burg son-in-laws and I wasn't going to let her do it. There was only one man that I wanted. I just haven't told him yet.

I started my car and drove straight to my parents' house, not giving myself the opportunity to stall. If I wanted to be treated like an adult then I had to start acting like one. Which meant no more avoiding things that were unpleasant. Confronting my mother was probably the most unpleasant thing I could come up. Probably second only to calling Tank.

"Stephanie, what a nice surprise," my mother said as I walked through the front door."I didn't know you were coming over."

I didn't think she'd view it as a nice surprise once I told her about breaking up with Joe. She'll think that I screwed up again. But I knew I hadn't. It would have been beyond selfish of me to hang on to Joe and mess up his life by knowing full well that I wasn't ever going to be what he needs. I've made my peace with it, but my mother was going to be a harder sell.

"I wanted to talk to you," I said.

"You sound so serious." She paused on her way back to the kitchen."Is there someone after you again?" She asked.

Yeah, I thought to myself, my own conscience.

"Where's Dad and Grandma?"

"Your father had to drive someone home from the lodge," she said."And you're grandmother is supposed to be at bingo, but who knows if she's really there."

If I had to make a guess, I'd say that she was at the male strip club that just opened near Center Street.

"Come sit down," my mother said to me."I made oatmeal cookies this morning."

Maybe my day was looking up. I took a seat at the kitchen table and she put the cookie jar in front of me along with a glass of milk. Hard to feel like a grown up when your mother kept giving you milk and cookies whenever you dropped by, but I was still going to try.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked."You never did tell me if someone was after you again."

"No one is trying to kill me today," I said. At least none that I know of."I wanted you to hear this from me ... I broke up with Morelli."

My mother didn't bat an eye at the news."You're always breaking up with Joseph," she said."Honestly, I don't know how that man puts up with it."

So maybe my day wasn't going to be so good after all.

"No. I mean I broke it off for good," I said to her."And I told him that he needed to find someone who wasn't me to spend the rest of his life with."

"Oh, Stephanie, how could you do that to him? That man loves you."

"And I love him, but not the way that I should."

"How can you say that after all the time Joseph has spent been putting up with your job, your constant stalkers, and buildings you have blown up? And don't get me started on all of the cars that you've sent to the junk yard."

"Okay," I said."I won't."

"Don't you get fresh with me young lady."

"I'm not." Not really, anyway."I get it, Mom," I said."I think, here we go again. Poor misguided Stephanie has gone and messed up her life one more time. But, for once, can we just get past that and have a normal conversation?"

"Stephanie Plum, that is not the way I raised you to speak to me."

"Maybe that's the problem," I said. I wasn't planning on starting anything, but since she brought it up."I came here to tell you something that I felt was important to me, and you're ready to jump on the Stephanie's-A-Screwup bandwagon. I did what was best for Joe and I. And no matter how hard you try to make me feel bad about it, it's not going to work."

"And Joseph agrees with this?"

"Not right now," I said, honestly."But he will."

"Obviously, you know what's wrong with your relationship," she said to me,"so why aren't you over there trying to fix it instead of coming here to tell me that it's over between the two of you?"

"Because I don't want to fix it," I said."Not this time. I'm ready to make decisions based on what I need, not on what will make everyone around me happy."

"And breaking up with Joseph Morelli is one of them?"

"Yes."

"Stephanie, what is wrong with you?" My mother asked."He's a nice looking young man. He has a steady job. And he owns his own home. I don't understand what else you could possibly want."

"That's always been the issue between us, Mom," I said."You have never understood me. I have a job. And an apartment. I don't_ need _his house or his paycheck. And I definitely don't want to get married to get them. I've said that over and over again."

"Every woman wants to get married," my mother said.

"Not me," I told her."And I _was_ married. Look how well that turned out."

"Joseph wouldn't act the way Dickie Orr did."

I'd like to think that Joe wouldn't have cheated on me, but that wasn't really the point.

"The point is that I'm not seeing Joe anymore," I said to her."I wanted you to know so you didn't invite him over for dinner thinking that we were still together."

"He must be heartbroken," she said."He's never shown any interest in settling down until you. And now you went ahead and dumped him."

I thought that sounded a little harsh. I didn't _dump_ him. I gave him the freedom to go after the life that he wanted.

"Why do you always do that?" I asked.

"Do what?"

"Take everyone's side but mine. I'm your daughter, remember? What happened to the saying _blood is thicker than water_?"

"I was in labor for more than twenty four hours with you, Stephanie," she said."I'm well aware that you're my daughter."

"That's not what I mean," I said."You're so worried about how Morelli might be feeling that you haven't even asked about me."

"_You're_ the one that broke up with _him_."

"Aren't you wondering why?"

"Wondering what?"

"Why after years of seeing each other I finally called it quits almost out of the blue."

"Okay," she said, resigned."Why did you suddenly end things with Joseph? You must have had a reason."

"I did. And I do," I said."I'm making some long overdue changes in my life. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and be happy about it."

My mother looked pained."You don't have to be so dramatic, Stephanie. Of course you're happy."

"No, Mom. I'm not. But I plan on being very soon." If I knew how Ranger felt, I might be happier a lot sooner."And I'm not being dramatic, I'm being honest."

"Marrying Joseph wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world."

"It would have been for the two of us," I said."And I just told you that I didn't want to get married. You know it's funny, Mary Lou knew from the time she was a little girl that she wanted to get married and have children when she grew up. And everyone says _'Good for her. She knew exactly what she wanted at a young age and succeeded in getting it'_. I knew from the exact same age that I didn't want those things for my life. And everybody is _still_ waiting for me to change my mind. What's the difference?"

"Mary Lou has always had a good head on her shoulders."

"Unlike flighty Stephanie?"

"You asked me a question," she said,"at least you can do is let me answer it."

I waved my hand at her."All right," I said."Go ahead."

"You have to admit that you haven't always made the best choices."

"You loved Dickie when you met him," I said to her."And you even pushed me to marry_ him_."

"In that case," she said,"I made a mistake."

"Just in that case?"

"What is it that you want from me?"

Finally, we were getting somewhere."I want us to start being honest with each other. I'm willing to listen to your opinion, but I'm not going to base my life around it anymore."

"I know you may think that I'm nothing but a Burg Busybody," she said,"but I do want what is best for you."

"I'm sure you do, Mom, but most of the time it doesn't feel that way," I told her."I stopped being a child years ago, although it may not look like it at times, but I've still been letting you tell me what to do. I have to stop listening to you and everyone else now, and start making choices that are right for me."

"And you're sure ending things with Joseph is necessary?"

"Yes," I said."He deserves better than what I could give him. And he doesn't need you, or his mother, scheming to try to get us back together again, either."

"I wouldn't ..."

"We both know that you would, so it doesn't help things by denying it."

"You're right," she said."I would have been on the phone with Angie Morelli by the time you had the door closed behind you."

"And now?"

"Now I'll let you handle this your way."

"Do you mean that?" I asked."I don't want you to just say what I want to hear and then tomorrow it's back to _'why does this always happen to my daughter?"_

"I don't sound like that!"

"Yeah, Mom," I told her,"you do."

"Okay," she said."Maybe I do. So how exactly would you like me to go about changing that?"

"First off, I want you to accept that Joe and I aren't going to be anything beyond friends. And no trying to fix me up with the sons of anyone you bump into at the store." I told her."I'm capable of finding someone on my own." She didn't have to know yet that I already had someone in mind."And I'm not going to give up my job with Vinnie, either. So no more career suggestions. If and when I decide that I want to change professions, I'll find something on my own."

"Is that all? No set ups and complaints about your job?"

"Those are the major ones," I told her."I would like us to be able to talk to each other without all the guilt, manipulation, or exaggerated emotions, too. If you have something to say to me, then just say it. Don't start asking the ceiling questions like _'Why me?' _And stop dragging Mrs. Bolick or Mrs. Dulcci's daughters into our discussions."

"Honestly, Stephanie, you're making me out to be some kind of crazy woman."

"I wouldn't say crazy," I said."Just really, really opinionated. I'm not saying that what I want is better than what you, Valerie, or Mary Lou have. It's just different."

"I know that I've never shown it, but I really am proud of you. The way that you can handle yourself in any situation. Maybe I haven't shown it because I'm a little envious of you, too. You've always had your own mind. And you're never afraid to try new things no matter how crazy they seem. At least you can say that you have lived. I love your father. And I love being married and having the two of you. But there's a part of me that has always wanted something that was mine. I've wanted to go back to school to become a nurse for the longest time, but I still haven't pursued it aside from picking up a few brochures."

"You should go for it, Mom," I told her."Taking care of people and ordering them around is your specialty."

"Very funny."

My father walked into the kitchen ten minutes later. We were still sitting at the table eating cookies. Well,_ I _was eating cookies. My mother was busy wiping away the crumbs from them. I let her. I knew she wouldn't be able to change every aspect of her personality overnight. The tension in the room was mostly gone, but not completely.

"What's going on in here?" My father asked, looking back and forth between us.

"We were just having a little girl talk," my mother said.

He looked over at me, I assumed, for more of an explanation.

"I broke up with Joe," I told him.

"Finally," he said."I always thought that any boy that looked like him was trouble. I never trusted him, either. Especially not after what he pulled when you were teenagers."

This was news to me. I thought my father's only problem was Morelli trying to steal his dessert when my father wasn't looking. I guess it was lucky for Joe that my mother never told my father about the choo-choo incident.

"Joe's a good guy," I said.

"But you can do better."

I thought about Ranger. I couldn't do much better than him, I thought.

"You haven't been giving Stephanie a hard time about this, too, have you?" He asked my mom.

It was weird that I felt an urge to defend her instead of myself. I was making progress. I was also keeping my mouth shut.

"We've talked about it," she told him,"and Stephanie has told me that it was for the best. I'm not sure I agree with that, but it's her decision. And that's all I'm going to say on the subject."

I almost laughed out loud at the look of shock on my father's face.

"Is she sick or something? Should we call the doctor?"

"Mom has turned over a new leaf," I told him.

"It's about time," my father said."I've always thought that she was too hard on you."

"Frank, you never said anything about that to me," she said, shooting a glare his way.

Finally! She chose someone other than me as a target even though I was still in the room.

"I figured that if it really bothered her," he said,"Stephanie would have talked to you about it."

Oh boy. I don't know what family my father thought he'd been living with all these years, but this one _never_ talked about that kind of stuff. That was obvious to me, since it took me almost thirty years to actually do it.

"Well, we talked about it today," I said."Hey, Dad? What do you think about Mom going back to school?" I got her to butt out of my life, but that didn't mean I couldn't butt into hers.

"For what?"

"We talked about this a while ago, Frank," she said."You know that I wanted to become a nurse after the kids were grown. I'm seriously thinking about trying it.

"You want to be a nurse? Now?" he asked."What about all the stuff here?" He asked, gesturing around the kitchen.

"Oh, Frank, I can still do everything that I do now," she said."The only difference will be when you go to the lodge or make cab runs. Instead of being stuck here in the kitchen, I'll be at school."

It was nice to see my parents communicating like a normal couple. Actually talking to each other instead of nagging and ignoring. It just goes to show that it's never too late to change anything.

After all the years of freaking out, worrying, and tippling, my mother could now concentrate on bettering her life instead of criticizing mine.

Who knew making some changes in _my_ life would result in my mother changing _hers_.

I looked at my watch and realized that I'd been here longer than I thought. I had a half hour to get to the Blue Bird.

"I've got to get going," I said, hiking my bag onto my shoulder.

My mother's voice stopped me on my way to the door."You're father and I love you, Stephanie," she said, giving my father a nudge with her elbow."Right, Frank?"

"Uh-huh."

"I know we don't say it as often as we should."

Or at all, I thought.

"I love you guys, too," I said, wondering if anyone else could hear the theme music from The Twilight Zone playing in their heads, too."I'll see you later."

"Are you coming to dinner on Friday?"

"I'm not sure," I said. I'd much rather be having dinner cooked by Ella in Ranger's apartment, but I wasn't sure if that would be a possibility.

I guess I took too long to answer her, because she spoke again.

"I promise, no blind dates or set ups," she said, probably thinking that was why I hadn't answered her right away.

I smiled. Glad that I was able to."How about I call and let you know."

"All right," she said.

I paused, waiting to see if she was going to push the issue. She didn't. Score one for Stephanie, I thought to myself. I waved goodbye and climbed back into my car. I couldn't believe everything that had happened today. It felt a little surreal.

I pulled into the lot for the Blue Bird with ten minutes to spare. Of course Tank being a Rangeman was already there waiting for me. He was taking up most of a corner booth with his back to the wall. I didn't know how they did it. I'd begun thinking that Ranger had all the traffic lights in Trenton wired into some complicated Rangeman program to make sure they never hit a red light. But the restaurant seating thing, I didn't have an explanation for.

Tank's eyes shot to me the second I walked through the door. It was very different from when Ranger caught sight of me. Ranger would give me a thorough head to toe sweep that would leave me damp and breathing fast. Tank looked like he was trying to decide between bolting and throwing everyone out of the room so there would be no chance of something happening to me while he was close by.

When I reached his booth, I motioned for him to stay seated when I saw that he was about to stand. He had a cup coffee in front of him and nothing else. I don't know how he resisted dessert, considering Ranger's ban on anything with sugar in it and the fact that the dessert case was only six feet away from him. I suppose he could just like eating only things that were good for him, but I couldn't see how that was possible. My order for a piece of chocolate cream pie would have already been placed if I wasn't full of my mother's cookies. When the waitress came over to me, like Tank, I ordered only coffee, too. Except mine had cream and sugar added.

"Thank you for meeting me," I said to Tank when the waitress left.

"What's this all about?" he asked.

I guess he wasn't big on small talk. I answered his question with one of my own."Does Ranger know about this?"

"It's only a matter of time," Tank said.

"Jeez, Tank. Relax," I said to him in my most reassuring voice."I'm not going to get you killed. I plan on talking to Ranger about this soon, but right now I need a name."

"Of who?" he asked, sounding suspicious and more than a little wary.

I blew a curl off of my forehead. This was like pulling teeth."I want to become a better bounty hunter. I'm probably not going to be doing this job for the rest of my life, but I do want to get better at it while I _am _doing it. I just want to have a couple of self defense lessons, and maybe learn a few takedown maneuvers that will make apprehending a skip easier for someone like me who doesn't like using a gun unless it's absolutely necessary. I need the name of someone who can offer me that."

"Why did you want to talk to me about this?" Tank asked."Ranger has never said no to you. In fact, I'm sure he'd be relieved to hear that you're taking this job seriously. He also has a fully equipped gym. And he has knowledge of anything you could possibly want to know about skip tracing. Why don't you just ask him for help?"

"It's complicated," I told him.

"Shit," Tank said."Are we about to get our asses kicked again. Last time something happened with you, half the men ended up limping for a week."

"No, it's nothing like that," I told him."I just want to learn a few things to make my job easier. It's not really a big deal."

I could tell that one of the reasons Tank is Ranger's second in command was the fact that he didn't miss much. I felt like my mind was getting scanned with one of those machines they use at the airport.

"Okay," he said finally,"I'll help you, even though Ranger'll probably fire my ass when he finds out about this."

"_If_ he finds out," I corrected.

"There are no_ if's _with Ranger," Tank said."Especially where you're concerned. There's a guy in Newark that's really good. His name is Robert Perkins. I don't have his number on me right now, but I can call you later with it."

"Thanks, Tank," I said."I really appreciate it."

"Just remember that appreciation when Ranger is beating the hell out of me."

"I'll be sure to plead your case if he does find out."

Tank looked like he was about to roll his eyes, but instead just stood up after acknowledging my clearly delusional statement with a nod of his head. He paid for our coffee on his way out of the restaurant, so I grabbed my bag and slid out of the booth.

I had been right. Fifteen minutes and I was already back in my car on my way home.Now if only my conversation with Ranger could go this smoothly. I had given myself a twenty-four hour reprieve. And decided to wait until tomorrow to tackle Ranger. Apparently, which way I would tackle him wouldn't be known until then. I was hoping that the magical words that I needed to convince him that a relationship with me could work would somehow come to me when I was asleep, because I sure as heck haven't had any luck so far while I was actually awake. I wasn't allowing myself to think about what would come after the perfect words being said, though. I had hopes. And I had a lot of fears. But what would actually happen, I hadn't a clue.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone who has left guest reviews for chapter 2. So far, I'm still thinking that the next chapter will be the last one for this story. I've already started chapter 4, but I'm always interested in what readers think is going to happen, or what they want to read about, so feel free to give your opinion on what you'd like to see in it. All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. Any mistakes are mine.**

**Chapter 3**

I'd been practicing what I was going to say all day, and I wasn't any closer to figuring it out. And when I heard the apartment door open, I knew I'd run out of time. I was sitting at the bar in Ranger's kitchen and I was trying really hard not to lose what little I had put in my stomach. Well, Stephanie, I said to myself, you said you were going to just come out and tell him how you feel no matter what, so you'll just have suck it up and go through with it now that Ranger was here. He was probably blocking my only exit anyway. I wasn't left with any options aside from just getting myself through this.

My romantic relationship with Morelli was history. I finally told him yesterday that it was over. And there was no going back now. Not that I wanted to. I knew that Joe and I wouldn't have made it much longer no matter how we deluded ourselves into thinking we would. Joe had been happy where we were, but I had begun looking for an escape route. I didn't know if I ever wanted to be married again, but I knew for sure that I never wanted a marriage where, eventually, guilt was the only thing holding it together. And every sign pointed to a marriage to Joe ending up like that. Now after a clean break I was free to go after who, and what, I wanted. And he just walked through the door. I just wish I knew if he felt the same way.The thing I was worried most about, besides getting my heart handed back to me, was that I wouldn't be able to convince Ranger that this time the breakup was for real. And forever. _I _knew Morelli and I were finished as a couple, but I didn't know if Ranger would believe me.

I waited until Ranger was finished working for the day for two reasons. One reason being that if things turned out the way I hoped they would, we'd have almost twelve uninterrupted hours together, barring an emergency. The second reason was that if things didn't go well for me, I'd have fourteen hours before having to face anyone until I could deal with Ranger rejecting me. But I was hoping that once he saw that I was clear on what I wanted now, and that I was determined to better my life, he would listen to what I had to say and start taking me seriously as someone he could be with permanently.

"Hey, Babe," Ranger said, as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hi," I said back. Ranger raised his eyebrow at my tone. Okay, so maybe I sounded like I swallowed sandpaper, but it was the best I could do at the time.

"Are you staying for supper?" He asked me."I can call Ella and tell her to bring up dinner for the two of us."

"Umm ..." Who knew speaking could be this difficult."I kind of wanted to talk to you before Ella got here."

"You have my attention."

"Maybe you should sit down for this," I said. If he was sitting next to me I'd have a clear path to the door if I needed to make a hasty retreat, I thought to myself. That wasn't exactly how I wanted to be feeling right now, but I have never been good at admitting how I felt about _anything. _And opening up in front of Ranger in particular was beyond frightening.

He looked at me for a long moment."It's that bad?"

"Well ... that depends."

After another beat of silence, Ranger sat down beside me. I clutched his hand in mine and took a second to get my breathing back under control. I had a feeling hyperventilating in front of him wouldn't help my case any. Ranger gave my hand a light squeeze, which I interpreted as _'Babe, I'm willing to listen to whatever is it you have to say, but you're going to have to start talking first.'_

"Joe and I broke up," I blurted out to him."And there's no way Morelli and I are ever going to be a couple again. I'm moving forward with my life." I took a deep breath and looked straight into his dark eyes, not letting myself look away."And I want to move forward with you." There, I said it. Now I just had to deal with the outcome of it being said out loud."I need to know if that's going to be possible."

Ranger didn't say anything, but I was in full nervous rambling mode so I picked up the slack.

"I know that you don't do relationships, but I didn't know if that was a rule you had for everyone or was it specifically about being in a relationship with me. I know I've been confused. And because of that, I've been unfair to you. I justified my behavior by saying that you didn't want more from me anyway, but that doesn't excuse my using you, or tempting you, when I was going home to another man."

Ranger finally spoke."I didn't leave you many alternatives."

"True. But if I would have been honest about what I wanted with you and let Morelli go sooner, maybe you would have." I said to him."I might sound like an idiot for asking this, but have you felt the way you do about me for anyone else? I mean, you married Rachel because of Julie. And I can't see you sneaking into Jeanne Ellen's place just to watch her sleep." He wasn't aware that I knew about his nocturnal hobby. He never disturbed me, but I always knew when he'd been there. There was a slight charge to the air when I woke up. And Ranger was the only person I knew who could alter any airspace he entered. It was a good thing he had me so monitored, because it could have been really awkward had he chose to break in on a night when Joe had been there. I shook my head at the thought. Guess that wasn't going to be a problem any more.

Ranger was impersonating a statue again, so I took that as a sign to continue."You moved into my apartment to keep us both safe during the Scrog nightmare. You trusted me with the fact that you had a daughter in the first place. You hired me to work in your building and let me hang out with the guys. All while I was involved with Joe. That doesn't sound like you were any more immune to me than I was to you. So I thought maybe my going back and forth with my feelings about Morelli was the issue."

"It didn't help," Ranger said.

"Does that mean you have feelings for me?" I asked.

"Babe, I've had feelings for you five minutes after meeting you."

"So you've said, but what are those feelings now?" I stopped him before he could answer me."Before you say anything, I want you to know that I'm not trying to force you into something with me that you're not comfortable with. I'm ready to take the next step, but I'm prepared to keep things the way they are now if that's what you really want. But just know that I think if we both just stepped out of our comfort zone, we could have something really great here. But you have to be completely sure. I just ended a relationship because we weren't invested in each other the way we should have been. And I don't plan on settling for another one like it."

"Looks like Eliza doesn't need me anymore."

I thought back to the first time he referred to us as Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins and smiled."Eliza is always going to need you," I said."And so am I."

"The feeling is mutual, Babe."

"Yeah," I said,"but just how much do you need me? That's the question."

"That's one question that I can finally answer."

He stopped there, not saying anything more. I thought my heart was going to explode. This wasn't the time to draw out the suspense, I thought.

"Well ... ?"

"Babe, I need you more than you can possibly know," Ranger said.

That was a good start, but I needed to hear more than that."Try telling me then."

"I'm not sure where to start," he said.

That was a first. Ranger not being sure of something. I guess it was a day of firsts for both of us.

"How about telling me where you see us going from here."

"My bedroom?"

"Very funny, Batman," I said."I'm serious."

"So am I, Babe."

I was about to say something, but Ranger squeezed my hand again and continued talking."I know, Babe, we have some unfinished business to take care of first."

"Finally!" I said."You're going to let me in on what's going on in that mysterious mind of yours?"

"You sure you want to know?"

"Heck, yeah!" I said. Was he serious? "I've been waiting for this moment for_ years_."

"_Years_, Babe?" He asked.

I thought his voice sounded a little doubtful."Yes!" I told him."That was part of the reason why I was trying to control what I felt for you, and why I kept convincing myself that I was better off with Joe because he was safe ..."

"Steph, when have you ever chosen the safe option over anything else?"

"When you sent me back to Joe a few hours after we'd slept together," I said to him. I didn't really want to open that wound again, but since we were clearing the air I always wondered what made him do it.

Ranger closed his eyes briefly before opening them and speaking."I knew when you walked into the diner that day, that there was something special about you," Ranger said, softly, locking eyes with me."And you've been proving me right every day since. At the risk of sounding like a mortal man here, I have to admit that I what I had begun feeling for you scared me."

"Oh, come on, Ranger," I said,"you can't make me believe that you're scared of anything."

"I'm not lying, Stephanie," Ranger said, never breaking eye contact."I have people in my life that I care about, but you're the one that I didn't want to risk losing."

"Why did you think telling me how you felt was going to make you lose me?"

"Babe, I said that I don't do relationships for a reason. I have a dangerous job. If I'm being completely honest, a_ few _dangerous jobs. I work crazy hours. And I have to leave without any warning for who knows how long," Ranger said."How could I ask you to put up with that? After seeing what you've gone through with Morelli, I promised myself that I'd keep my distance as much as possible until I knew I could offer you something better."

That sounded sweet on the surface, but it still pissed me off. That he decided to not let me make my own decision about whether I could handle a relationship with him. It's lucky for him that I was trying to get rid of as many of my bad habits as I could. So instead of losing my temper, I told myself to calm down and listen to what he had to say. But, at the moment, telling myself that he was thinking of my well being was helping only up to a point.

"When DeChooch came up, I couldn't help myself," Ranger said."It may have been one of the weakest moments I've ever had. I wanted you. And knowing that Morelli was out of the way was too good to be true. I realized exactly that the next morning when I knew nothing had changed in my life except that the feelings I had for you were stronger than I would have imagined. So I tried backtracking. If you were with Morelli again, I'd be forced to back off until my circumstances changed."

"And have they?" I asked.

"Even if they hadn't," Ranger said,"everything that you've just said to me would have changed my whole way of thinking about them."

"What if I ended up marrying Morelli while you were waiting for things to change?"

"If it had been really what you wanted," Ranger said,"I would like to think that I'd have stepped aside and left you alone. But I probably would have ended up locking you in one of the safe houses until the date passed."

That sounded like something Ranger would have done. I still remember him threatening to do that very thing when he thought I was in too much danger.

"So we both sabotaged the relationship we could have had? Me by bouncing back and forth between you and Joe, and you by not wanting to admit how you felt for fear of losing what we already had?"

"Unfortunately, yes," he said."I had to know that you were serious about making this work, because unlike Morelli I won't tolerate someone poaching on what is mine, and I don't plan on ever letting you go."

"As endearing as Neander-Ranger is," I said to him, smiling,"you can put away your club and stop beating on your chest, because I have no desire to look at another man. Never mind actually make out with one."

"And Morelli is okay with you two being over?"

"I'm sure once the single Burg women, and some of the married ones, too, hear that Morelli is on the market again, I'll just be a distant memory to him."

"I doubt that, Babe," Ranger said."You are one in a million. And not someone easy to get over. I should know. And what about your family?" Ranger asked."How are they going to take this? I know your mother was set on you marrying Morelli."

I smiled at him."There's been some new developments in the life of Helen Plum."

"Like what?"

"My mother is going back to school."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope," I told him."My mother is going to be a working girl just like me."

"Babe."

"Okay, poor choice of words," I said."The way I figure it, this is going to be a nice reversal of roles. It's going to be hard for my mother to bug me when she'll have homework to get done."

The smile Ranger gave me made his eyes crinkle at the corners."Only you, Babe."

"Well, it's true," I said to him."She should be too busy harassing a whole classroom full of people to bother with what I'm doing anyway. And she recently promised to leave the decisions about my life to me. "

"And since we're on the subject," Ranger said in a tone that said he meant business,"would you like to tell me all about your new career aspirations?"

"How did you know?"

Ranger raised an eyebrow at me.

"Okay, besides the fact that you're Ranger and you know everything."

"Tank used a company car."

"And?"

"All the cars are monitored."

I was starting to get the picture."And the bugs in my bag and on my car put me and Tank at the same place."

"Yes."

"Crap." I said."And how is Tank?" I knew Tank was worried about meeting me yesterday, but I honestly thought he was exaggerating. Now I wasn't so sure.

"He's been better," Ranger said.

"You didn't hurt him, did you?"

"I went easy on him."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Tank can take care of himself," Ranger said, without showing an ounce of sympathy for his friend."He knew what he was getting into when he agreed to meet with you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He took a Rangeman vehicle to the Blue Bird," Ranger said."He knew both of your cars were being tracked by Hal in the control room. He also knew that I'd be notified that the two of you were together."

It suddenly became clear."He did it on purpose, didn't he?" I asked, although I already knew the answer."He didn't want to keep our meeting a secret from you."

"Got it in one, Babe."

I didn't know if I was relieved for Tank, or if I wanted to take a swing at him myself since I told him I didn't want Ranger to know about what I was doing. I guess in Tank's eyes, facing an angry Ranger was way more scary than facing a mad Stephanie. I couldn't really fault him for that. I tried very hard not to piss Ranger off if I could help it.

"Why didn't you talk to me about this?" Ranger asked me."You knew I would have helped you."

"That's just it, Ranger, I didn't want you to." I held up my hand when I saw his blank face slam down. I knew he had misunderstood what I'd said. I cupped his jaw in my hand, and said a silent thank you when he didn't pull away; that he was going to hear me out before reacting. It was strange to have a conversation about something important without any yelling or without one of us leaving in anger. I could really get used to this, I thought."I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I wanted to fix my problems on my own without having to rely on someone doing it for me. I love the fact that you want to help me in anyway that you can, but I want to prove to myself that I can not only say that I'm going to do something, but actually follow through with it, too. I want to be you're partner Ranger, not a dependent," I said to him."You know, just one more thing you have to take care of."

"Babe, I don't think of you that way."

"I know you don't, Ranger, but I do."

"Well, it stops now," Ranger said."Everything I've done with, or for, you has been because I've wanted to."

"I know that too, but I want to be able to help you the same way."

"You help me all the time, Babe," Ranger said."You already mentioned Scrog. Do you think I could have gotten to him as quickly as I did if you hadn't offered yourself up as bait?"

"Ranger, you got shot multiple times because of me."

"I got shot because of Scrog," Ranger said."And I'd do it all over again if it meant getting you and Julie away from him. And that wasn't the only time you've helped to get me out of trouble. What about Ramos? You were essential in proving that I didn't kill Homer Ramos."

"Umm ... as much as I'd like to take credit for that, Ranger, he wasn't really dead. That kind of helped."

"And how exactly did we find that out?" Ranger asked.

"His father liked me and Homer himself tried to kill me?"

"Yes," Ranger said."And you were also the one who figured out who was stealing the codes to Rangeman's accounts. And exactly how it was done."

"That was a happy accident."

"It was more than that, Babe. You are such an important part of my life, Stephanie," Ranger said."Someone I could never replace. And wouldn't want to. And you've also become an integral part of Rangeman."

"Thank you for saying that, Ranger. You've told me that before, but it's different knowing the feelings behind it. And the guys are great," I said, meaning it. They hardly ever cringe anymore when Ranger tells them that they've got Stephanie duty.

"I'm glad to hear that, Steph, because I already called Robert and cancelled your appointment with him," Ranger said to me."The only one that's going to be helping you with your skills is me."

"Which skills are you referring to?" I asked.

"All of them," Ranger said before he covered my lips with his. He could have kissed me for five minutes or five hours. I wasn't even sure of my own name when Ranger lifted his head. He stood, tugging me up with him."I'll think I'll begin your training by evaluating the skills you have in the bedroom," Ranger said, pulling me towards his room.

By the end of the night all I could think was that Ranger was an excellent teacher, and that I was a very eager student.


	4. Chapter 4

**I think this is the first story that I've completed, beginning to end, the way that I had originally planned to. This last chapter is longer than the last three combined, but I wanted to give a good idea of what Ranger and Stephanie's life will be like after we leave them. Anything familiar belongs to Janet Evanovich. The mistakes are mine.**

**Chapter 4**

After the night surviving, or should I say enjoying, Ranger's bedroom bootcamp, I was tired but had never felt better. Ranger can do that to a girl. I tried to keep that feeling going even after he made me get up with him to start my first self-defense lesson in the gym. Ranger must have been feeling pretty good himself, because he kept his usual schedule of getting up before dawn to work out, but let me sleep an extra hour before waking me up for my own gym time. Ranger kissed me good morning and then left me to get ready. I would have liked to have spent some time in the shower with him before we left, but I couldn't see wasting water because I'd most likely just need another shower once Ranger got done kicking my butt downstairs. I got out of bed, grabbed a tank top and a pair of sweat pants out of the bag I had brought over from my apartment, and headed into the bathroom.

Lester and Bobby were standing by the mats when I walked into the gym with Ranger fifteen minutes later.

"Finally," Lester said as we walked over to them,"after all the years of my bitching, the Boss finally decided to pretty up the place."

"Can it, Santos," Ranger said.

Lester shut up, but I could still see a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and I knew he wasn't sorry for pulling the tiger's tail. I couldn't decide if he was brave or if he was stupid.

Ranger had been serious about helping me get better at what we do. He lined up back to back sessions of various forms of self-defense. The first lesson was in was I later learned was Krav Maga. Ranger had informed me that it would help when an opponent was bigger than I was. He had Lester be my guinea pig when it came to using pressure points to take down, or get away from, bad guys. I'm assuming since Lester was chosen out of the group of guys that were hanging around the gym, it was his punishment for mouthing off earlier. When I could easily identify every point on the body that would incapacitate someone, Ranger took me to the gun range. Ranger refused to let me leave until I hit every target exactly where he told me to hit it. By the time we were done, I still hated guns; the noise they made when they were fired, and what they could do to the human body, but I felt I had a better handle on how and when to use them in any given situation.

After taking the shower I had been looking forward to, Ranger decided to reward me for all my hard work, both on the mats and in the shower, by taking me out to lunch.

"Where would you like to go?" He asked me.

I wasn't sure. I didn't want to hide our relationship from anyone, but I didn't want to intentionally hurt Joe by going to a place where he or the guys from the station usually ate. So I chose Marsilio's. I could get the Burg reaction over with while hopefully not upsetting anyone directly.

Ranger parked the Turbo and we walked into the restaurant. Ranger's hand was resting comfortably on the small of my back and, as we were being seated, I could almost hear the rustling of material as people reached for their cell phones. I'd anticipated this reaction and had turned my phone off before we'd gotten out of Ranger's Porsche. I straightened my spine and thought to myself, I'll deal with them later, but right now I'm going to just enjoy being out on a date with Ranger.

Ranger smiled at me. The openly staring people didn't bother him, but he gave me the option to chicken out if I needed to."We can go somewhere else if you want, Babe."

"No," I said."I'm fine. I don't want to pretend that we aren't together. Everyone will just have to deal with it. Besides, the food is really good here."

"It's good that you have your priorities straight," he said.

"I did put_ you _first," I told him,"in case you hadn't noticed."

Ranger brought my hand to his lips and gently kissed my knuckles."I noticed, Babe."

I swear I heard a camera click when Ranger kissed my hand. I rolled my eyes and picked up my menu. If whoever had taken the picture had asked me, I would have smiled for the stupid thing.

I don't know why I bother looking at the menu anymore, because I always ordered the same thing when I came here. Ranger, I noticed, did too. Boring chicken something or other, steamed vegetables. Yuk! I always thought that if you were going to go out to eat you should at least order something that you couldn't have at home. And I couldn't have sausage alfredo at home. First off, because I didn't have any of the ingredients. And second, because I wouldn't know where to start even if I did have all the ingredients.

Ranger pulled me out of my mental cooking lesson.

"I'm proud of you, Babe."

"You are?" I asked."What for?"

"For hanging in there today," he said to me.

"I didn't really have a choice."

"Yes, you did, Babe. And you chose to do everything I threw at you without once complaining about it."

"Technically, you're doing me a favor here," I said to Ranger,"so I can't very well complain about it."

"I don't consider helping you a favor," Ranger said."And definitely not when it comes to something as important as keeping you alive."

"I know. That's why I wasn't going to say anything about how sore my muscles were when we were finished."

"And still are, I'll bet."

"A little."

"It's lucky for you that I'm skilled in relaxation techniques, too."

"More than I've already seen?" I asked thinking about the shower we had shared earlier. I did feel pretty good after that. The hot water and Ranger's hands went along way to relaxing all of my muscles.

"Yes."

"Remind me to take you up on that tonight."

"Like you'd need a reminder," Ranger said a little smugly, I thought.

"It's not like I spend my whole day thinking about you," I said to him. Ranger didn't say anything to that, he just looked at me. I blew out a breath."All right, so I don't need a reminder. But just for the record. I only think about you maybe eighty percent of the day."

"I'll have to find a way to change that to a hundred percent," Ranger said.

Uh-oh, I thought, I may have just thrown down a challenge. I looked up at Ranger and he was giving me the sexiest smile I had ever seen on him. If the waiter hadn't chose that moment to bring us our food then I might have let him try right there to close the gap.

The waiter poured us each a glass of wine before leaving us to our food. I managed to finish my whole plate without moaning once. And it was hard, too, because the food was really, really good. I was glad that I didn't let the people around us make me uncomfortable enough to leave. What was also good was the fact that they didn't make me uncomfortable _at all_. Once Ranger and I sat down and started talking, I didn't pay attention to anything else in the restaurant. Ranger looked like he was enjoying himself, too. Maybe a relationship with The Man of Mystery was going to be easier than I thought.

I used to think that I had to be more than what I was to be with Ranger. That little Stephanie from the Burg was too naive, too goofy, too _everything _that Ranger wasn't, to hold the attention of a man like him for very long. But I was starting to see that those might be the very qualities that drew him to me in the first place. The load that Ranger usually carried seemed lighter. And I'd like to think that I was part of the reason why.

We finished our meal and after the bill was paid, Ranger pulled out my chair for me starting another round of whispers. I was starting to really enjoy myself here. Enjoying myself enough to lean up and kiss Ranger's mouth. If they were going to watch then the least I could do was give them something to see, I thought. And it also gave me a reason to kiss Ranger again.

When I pulled back, he smiled at me again and wrapped an arm around my waist escorting me back to the Turbo.

After buckling myself in, I pulled my phone back out and looked to see that I had fifteen new messages. All within twenty minutes of each other. The grapevine obviously had nothing bigger to discuss. Maybe instead of being annoyed like I usually am, I should be flattered that Ranger and I were such a hot topic.

I held up my phone for him to see."They didn't waste anytime," I said to him.

"Does the thought of them knowing about us bother you?"

"Nope. I've decided to look at things differently," I told him."What they say about me, or us, isn't important at all as long as _we_ know the truth. I'm just going to call Mary Lou and Connie and let them take care of everyone else. From now on, I'm going to be thinking about other people _less_ and living _more_."

"Good for you, Babe."

When we got back to Rangeman, Ranger went up to his office on five and I stayed behind and called Mary Lou from the garage.

"Steph, you'd better get your butt over here and tell me what's been going on with you," Mary Lou said."You were still with Joe last time I talked to you. And now I hear that you've been seen kissing Ranger at Marsilio's. What happened? And how fast can you get over here?"

"If Ranger has nothing for me to finish up here," I said to her,"I can be over in half an hour."

"Remember, I know you," she said, probably remembering that I never arrive anywhere on time."You'd better not be late. I've got my eye on the clock."

"I won't. I'll see you in a bit."

Calling Connie was easier.

"You and Ranger?" Connie asked."Is that right?"

"Yes."

"When did this happen?" She asked.

"It's been happening for a while," I told her."And you were the one pointing it out to me every chance you got."

"Don't play dumb with me," she said."You know what I mean. When did the two of you become a couple?"

"Officially? Yesterday."

"And Morelli?"

"I decided that I had to break things off with him. He needs someone other than me in his life to truly be happy."

"Wow," Connie said.

"Yeah, I know," I said."It was a pretty big step for me, but it was one that I needed to take."

"Well, you couldn't have picked a more loyal man than Ranger to be with," she said."I didn't think he'd open himself up to a relationship but since he has, you won't find a better man to be in one with."

"Thanks Connie," I said."I think so, too. You can let Lula know. I have plans, and she probably wouldn't let me off the phone if I called her now. And she'll be beyond upset if everyone knew but her."

"I'll tell her. When are you coming back here?"

"Is there something for me?"

"Not right now, but you don't need a skip to stop in and say hi."

"I will, I promise," I told her."I'll talk to you later."

I disconnected and took the elevator up to Ranger's office.

His door was open and I poked my head in his doorway.

"Mary Lou wants me to come over," I told him."Do you have anything you need me to do here first?"

"No. Everything's up to date."

"I'm off then. I'll be back soon." I turned to leave, but Ranger's voice stopped me.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Babe?" He asked.

"I have my bag and my keys," I said."So no, I don't think so."

He crooked his finger at me. I looked at his finger and smiled at him. As I walked to his desk I felt a tiny bit of regret that I could have had this all along with Ranger if I'd just been secure enough with what we felt for each other to just go for it and admit to him, and to myself, that I loved him.

When I reached his chair he stood, pulled me in close, and gave me the sort of kiss that women everywhere dreamed about. I put my hand on the desk to steady myself when he ended it.

"Okay, then," I said, trying to control my now raging hormones."I definitely won't forget _that _any time soon."

"That was my plan, Babe," Ranger said.

"It worked," I told him, and walked out of his office with a little extra swing in my step. I waved to the guys on my way by and took the elevator back down to the garage.

I drove to Mary Lou's thinking about my life, past and present, and realized that I couldn't change how I'd handled things in the past. And if I had, I might not be where I am today. And I wouldn't trade what Ranger and I have now for a clear conscience, or a clean slate, even if I could.

I pulled into Mary Lou's driveway and wasn't even out of my car before her front door flew open.

"It seems like forever since I've seen you, Steph," she said.

"I know. We're going to have to make some time to see each other more often."

"Okay, enough about us," she said."Tell me about Joe, Ranger, and your mother while you're at it. I hear she's planning on becoming a nurse?"

Mary Lou closed the door behind us and followed me into the kitchen. She poured us each a cup of coffee before pulling out a bag of chocolate chip cookies and putting them on the table between us. I took a cookie while Mary Lou decided what she wanted to hear about first.

"Let's start with Morelli," she said."Did something happen between you that I don't know about?"

"Not really," I said to her."I just decided that I had to move on. We weren't giving each other what we needed. And I didn't want to live that way anymore."

"That's it?" She asked.

"Yep."

"He didn't cheat on you? Or give you another ultimatum about your job?

"Nope. I can honestly say that this was completely my decision. But I think he'll be happier because I made it."

"And your mother?"

"I didn't think it was possible, but we finally saw eye to eye on something."

"What?"

"That we each had to change what we were doing with our lives."

"And Ranger?"

"I told him that I loved him," I said to Mary Lou,"and he said it back to me."

"But you told me he's said it to you before. What was different this time?"

"Well, I guess you could say that he clarified what he meant when he'd said it."

"Damn."

"I know,' I said to Mary Lou."It's a lot to take in."

"All of this happened in the last couple days?"

"Yes," I said."I would have talked to you about it, buteven _I _didn't know how serious I was until I was driving to Joe's house."

"And you're happy with Ranger?" Mary Lou asked.

That was the greatest thing about about having a best friend like Mary Lou, she's always concerned about my feelings before anything else.

"Beyond happy," I said to her.

"Then I'm happy, too," she said."And I promise to try not to freak out when I see him. I mean, not only is he gorgeous, but he also scares the crap out of me."

"You don't have to worry about Ranger," I told her."When you get to know him, he's not as bad as he looks."

"Yeah, right," Mary Lou said, clearly not believing me."Jeez, Steph, if you weren't already the envy of every girl in the Burg for domesticating _Joe Morelli_. Now you've broken up with him, willingly I might add, and found someone equally as hot, if not hotter, to be with? You're going down in Burg history."

"It's not like that," I told her.

"I know it doesn't have anything to do with looks. After all, you did marry Dickie. But having _those_ two men in love with _you_?"

"Hey!"

"I didn't mean it like that," she said."Any guy would be lucky to be with you. I'm just trying to put myself in your shoes and live vicariously through you. So be quiet and let me do it for a few minutes." Mary Lou said."I love Lenny and all, but let's face it Hollywood isn't going to be knocking on his door anytime soon."

"Mary Lou," I said,"you love your life. You married the man that you've been in love with since high school, and you have kids that you adore."

She laughed."Some days."

"They are a handful," I said. I thought that was an understatement, but when they were asleep they were really cute._ Awake _was a completely different story."But seriously, Mary Lou, you shouldn't be jealous of anyone else when you already have what you've dreamed about."

"I know."

Mary Lou filled me in on everything that was going on in her life while we polished off the bag of cookies. I wouldn't say that I'd ever want to trade my life for hers, but for Mary Lou, PTA meetings, school recitals, and date night once a week with her husband, are the things that make her happy. I think that's what I've always wanted my mother to understand. That women should be free to choose the kind of life that was right for them. And to not get judged by other women, or men for that matter, for living them. It should be a personal choice, not a collective one. Mine and Mary Lou's lives were different from each other's, but they were perfect for us.

Grandma Mazur called as Mary Lou was walking me out.

"I made dinner," Grandma said."Would you like to come over? Oven-roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Only thing is, I don't have dessert. But you could pick something up on the way."

"Is that the real reason you called?" I asked her."So I could bring dessert?"

"Yes," she said."We'd like to see you, too, but dinner would be even better if we had a nice cake to go along with it."

"I'll stop at Italian Peoples for something on my way," I told her.

"Thank you. Are you bringing Ranger?"

"You know about us?" I don't know why I bothered asking. Everyone probably knew.

"Everybody knows," she said, proving I was right."I, for one, am happy about it. And not just because Ranger has an excellent_ everything_. If you catch my drift."

I wasn't catching anything."I'll check with him and see if he can come," I said.

"Good," she said."You can count on me to make him feel welcome in our home."

I got a little nervous at hearing that. Grandma was notorious for goosing, groping, and ogling, any man that she found attractive. And a few that she didn't.

"Don't make him feel_ too _welcome," I told her."I don't want him filing charges against you."

I made a quick stop at Rangeman to see if Ranger was free. He was just closing up his office when I stepped off the elevator.

"Perfect timing," I said to him after giving him a quick kiss.

"For what, Babe?" He asked."I thought you were at Mary Lou's."

"I was," I told him."Grandma called as I was leaving and asked us over for dinner. And I have to make a stop at the bakery on the way. Do you want to come with me?"

"I'll go, but you'll owe me."

"How much? Things have been a little slow money wise," I told him, smiling. I liked that I could actually flirt with Ranger without worrying that it was going to lead to something I couldn't handle. I've since learned that I could handle many parts of Ranger with no complaints.

Ranger leaned in close."Your money isn't what I'm interested in," he said.

"I can't cook, either."

"Not a problem, Babe."

"So what do I have to give to pay off my debt?" I asked him, my smile getting bigger.

"You, Babe," he said.

I pressed my lips to his and whispered."That's good to hear, because you already have me," I told him."So you can't get out of dinner now."

"You mind taking that somewhere else?" Tank said."You're making us all sick with all that lovey-dovey shit."

"Love you, too, Tank. I think someone's jealous," I said to Ranger.

"Jealous?" Tank said.

"Uh-huh. What do you think?" I asked Ranger.

"Could be."

"I could have anyone I want," Tank said."Anytime."

"What ever you say, Tank. Come on, Ranger," I said to Ranger, taking his hand and tugging him towards the elevator.

"You don't believe me?" Tank asked.

My voice might have sounded a little like I was talking to a child."Sure I do, Tank," I said as the elevator doors opened."You can have any woman on earth. Anytime you want her. I got it."

"Tank let it go," Ranger said to him."You're not going to win."

We stepped into the elevator, and I gave Tank a little finger wave as the doors closed.

"That was fun," I said to Ranger.

"You realize he's going to be pouting about this for the next few days."

"Tank can pout?"

"You just brought his manhood into question, what do you think he's going to do?"

"Realize that I was teasing and get over it?"

"He will. But he might feel the need to get even when he does."

"Uh-oh."

"Don't worry, Babe," Ranger said."I'll protect you."

There are a lot of perks to Ranger being the boss, I thought. But I made a note to stay far away from Tank in the gym just in case.

We stepped out of the elevator and into the garage. Before I could ask whose car we were taking, Ranger had the Turbo unlocked. I could deal with that. Out of all Ranger's vehicles, the Turbo is still my favorite.

Before pulling out of the Rangeman gate. Ranger asked what bakery I wanted to go to.

"Italian Peoples," I told him. Since I was pretty sure that Ranger never entered a bakery unless I was with him, he proved once again that he knew everything by not needing directions to get there.

"Do you want to come in with me?" I asked him."Or wait here?"

"I'll wait," he said."But if you're not out in five minutes, I'm coming in after you."

I climbed out of the car and walked into the building. There was something about bakeries; the combined smell of sugar and vanilla, how colorful the sprinkles on the cookies are, and the way all the decorated cakes were arranged, that always made me feel a little bit happier when I walked into one.

After looking at everything in the cases, and probably adding five pounds to my thighs from just looking at the doughnuts and pastries alone, I decided to go with a German Chocolate cake. I paid for the cake and was on my way back to Ranger's Porsche when I caught the eye of Joe's mother, Angie Morelli.

"Stephanie," she said."How nice to see you."

"Hi, Mrs Morelli. How are you?"

"Well, I'm doing better than Joseph."

"I haven't seen him," I told her."How's he doing?"

"I think he would be doing better if you would just call him," she said to me.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" She asked."You obviously care about him, so why won't you talk to him?"

I really didn't want to discuss this outside of Italian Peoples, but maybe if everyone was eavesdropping I wouldn't have to go over it again later on.

"Joe and I broke up," I told her."And I don't want to confuse things between us by calling him right now."

"But once you talk to each other, you'll make up and I'll be back to looking up baby names."

"I hate to tell you this, Mrs Morelli, but they'll be no baby names. I'm seeing someone now," I told her."And I have no plans on getting back together with Joe."

"I knew it!" A scary voice said from my left side."I knew you were a _puttana_! I warned my Joseph about you, but did he listen?" Bella asked."No. He couldn't see past the body that you flaunted to keep him from looking elsewhere for a respectable girl to settle down with."

"Not now, Bella," Mrs. Morelli said.

"You're going to regret hurting my Joseph," Bella said to me.

"The only thing I regret is not breaking up with _your_ Joseph sooner."

"You won't be saying that when your hair falls out and your female parts shrivel up."

Ranger came up behind us and heard the last part of Bella's threat."That could be a problem, Babe," he said.

"Yeah," I agreed."It doesn't sound like it'd be fun."

Bella looked back and forth between us."You're not taking the eye seriously?" She asked.

"Don't worry, Babe," Ranger said."Lester has an aunt that I'm sure could take_ 'the eye' _off you should you get it."

I smiled at him."I knew there was a reason why you kept him around."

Ranger's cell rang. He looked at the number displayed."I have to take this," he said to me."Will you be okay?"

"Yep," I said."Everything's under control."

I watched Ranger walk back to the car. I really couldn't help myself. He looked good coming. And going. And he was finally_ mine_.

I took a deep breath and faced Joe's family."Look," I said to them."I'm sorry that Joe is upset right now, but he'll be okay. He's a good man and I have no doubt that he'll find someone that he can be completely happy with. I don't want to hurt him anymore than I already have by prolonging a relationship that never would have evolved into what he wanted it to be."

"Joseph hasn't said anything to me about the two of you being over."

"He's probably scared that there'd be a stampede to his door if anyone finds out," I said.

"You know that you can be easily replaced, and you still crush his heart over and over again?" Bella asked.

"Don't worry," I told her."I'm not going to be crushing Joe's heart again. You'll have to find someone new to hate."

She narrowed her eyes at me, but I think it was finally sinking in that Joe and I really weren't together anymore.

"But I had the visions," she said.

"They were wrong," I told her.

"My visions are never wrong." She said, and she stomped off.

Did I miss something? First she's mad that I was with Joe. And now she's mad that I'm not with him anymore? There apparently wasn't any winning with her so I wasn't going to try.

"I'm sorry about Bella," Mrs. Morelli said."I won't admit this in front of any of the family, but Joseph is very special to us."

"He should be," I told her."I meant what I said, he's a great guy."

"I'm sorry it didn't work out between you," she said."You would have been a welcome addition to our family."

"I appreciate you saying that. I really like your family." My eyes strayed in the direction Bella went."With a few exceptions," I said.

"Don't pay any attention to Bella," Mrs. Morelli said."Her bark is worse than her bite."

I didn't believe her anymore than Mary Lou believed me about Ranger, but Bella wasn't my problem anymore.

"Well, I'd better get Bella home before she threatens someone who parked too close to the car."

I laughed."I have to go, too. Dinner at my parents' house."

"I heard about what your mother is doing," she said."How is she?"

"Everyone's good," I said."She seems happy."

"Some of the wives have been discussing her and I think Helen might have started something. Mrs. Martignetti wants to take a few cooking classes and then start a catering company. And Mrs. Carnabuci wants to start selling the quilts she's been making to earn a little extra money."

"Really? The Burg might never be the same."

"It seems to be changing for the better," she said."It was good seeing you, Stephanie."

"You, too, Mrs. Morelli." And I walked back to Ranger's car.

We've come along way from the woman who used to shout how I would go to hell if I didn't watch my mouth when I was a child. Maybe the Burg really was changing. Or maybe_ I _was the one changing.

Ranger was hanging up when I slid back into the passenger seat.

"Tank needs me back at Rangeman so I'm going to have to miss dinner."

"Is it bad?"

"No," he said."Just a client that won't be happy until he speaks to me directly."

"I can understand that," I told him."You do have the knack for putting people at ease. Somehow I can't see Tank doing that."

Ranger smiled."Tank has a different set of strengths."

"I know. Keeping secrets isn't one of them, though." I said, thinking back on our meeting at the Blue Bird.

"Not from me, at least," Ranger said. He leaned forward and kissed me."I'll drop you off at your parents' house and I'll get back as soon as I can to pick you up."

"You don't have to," I told him."I can have my Dad give me a ride back to Rangeman or borrow Big Blue. One more time driving that whale won't kill me."

"I'll pick you up," Ranger said again.

"Okay," I said."I'm not going to argue if the hottest man I've ever seen, who also happens to be my boyfriend, wants to come get me personally. I'll even save some of the cake for you."

"You're willing to share your cake with me?" He asked, his smile returning.

"Uh-huh."

"You must really love me then, if you're willing to share your dessert."

I smiled back at him."I'm willing to share more than just cake with you."

"I'm counting on it," Ranger said.

Ranger drove down my parents' street and parked in their driveway. He turned the car off and faced me.

"If you're ready to leave before I get here, call my cell and I'll come get you."

"Would it help to argue that I can find my way back to Rangeman on my own?"

"No, Babe," he said."I'm not taking any chances. I like having you in my bed at night."

"If I remember correctly, you always did," I said to him.

"I did," Ranger said,"but I like it better now that I can do something about you being in it."

No kidding. Being able to lay wrapped up in Ranger's arms at night, and then waking up still wrapped up in them, without Morelli between us, was an indescribable feeling.

"I like that you can do something about it, too," I told him."I'll see you in a little while."

"I'll be here," he said.

I gave him a small smile, knowing that he meant more than just picking me up tonight."I know you will," I said to him."You always were."

I met him halfway across the console and put what I felt about him into the kiss. Both our breathing was a little labored when we pulled apart. And that was saying something. Ranger could probably rescue an entire family from a burning building and then overthrow a radical government without his breathing ever changing. It's reassuring to know that I wasn't the only one that has invested everything I had in me into this relationship. After one last brush against his lips with mine, I climbed out of his car and waved to him before walking through my parents' front door.

I stopped to say hello to my dad on my way to the kitchen.

Valerie was sitting at the kitchen table when I walked in. I put the bakery box on the counter and sat down across from her.

"What is this I hear about you breaking up with Joe to be with Ranger."

"Did mom tell you?" She promised she wouldn't get involved in my business anymore, but I wanted to make sure.

"No," Valerie said."Everyone else did. It seems like mom's hardly home anymore. Not only has she attended her first class, she actually started a book club and a supper club with some women she met there. Her new schedule is looking a little hectic. We haven't had much of a chance to say more than a few words to each other. And Grandma has decided to reclaim the kitchen, as you could probably tell."

"I noticed that," I said."How's Dad handling it?"

"He seems to be enjoying himself," Valerie said."They seem to be talking to each other now. They tell each other about their day over coffee in the morning. And Grandma said that Mom sat down with dad last night and they watched a movie together before going up to bed. I like to think this is how they were before they had us. Like they're getting to know each other all over again."

That sounded nice, but I didn't want Ranger and I to ever get to the point where we would need to learn about each other again. One more thing to add to the _important relationship info _folder.

"So tell me about you and Ranger," Valerie said.

"What do you want to know?"

She gave him a look like I was insane. I remember that look from childhood. She gave it to me _a lot_.

"Everything," she said."I want to know _everything_."

"Well," I said to her,"I finally told him that I was in love with him and he didn't run screaming in the opposite direction when I did."

"Oh please," she said to me."I've seen the way Ranger is with you. I wish Albert would look at me that way."

This was the first I've heard of their marriage being anything but happy. First Mary Lou. And now Valerie. Two people that I was sure had their lives figured out were still questioning their choices. And here I was thinking I was the only one that wasn't certain about my future. Now it seems everyone I knew had the same doubts about their lives as I did.

"Kloughn loves you," I told Valerie.

"I know he does," she said."But sometimes I think it's only because I was too easy to catch. You were with Joe for a long time and Ranger still waited for you."

"I don't think Ranger was just passing the time until I was single."

"No?"

"Uh-uh," I said."I don't think so."

"He showed up every time you needed him without you having to ask. He let you borrow and destroy his cars ..."

"Hey!" I said."Not all of them got destroyed."

"Ranger looks at you like you're his last meal," Valerie said.

And that was the problem with me being with Morelli at the time, because I was looking at Ranger the same way.

"You don't think Albert looks at you like that?"

"Maybe he does," she said."But _God_, having a man like Ranger in love with you? That's entirely different. He has told you he loves you, right?"

"Yes," I said, reliving the moment in my mind.

This is how it should have been between Valerie and I during our school years. Talking about boys, not that I'd ever refer to Ranger as a _boy, _discussing our parents without the sibling rivalry we may never have shown, but have always felt. Valerie was the perfect one. I was the constant disaster. As someone who had watched The Brady Bunch reruns as a child, I was the Jan to her Marcia. Until recently, I still felt that way. But we both have gotten more comfortable with each other and our relationship. After her divorce Valerie had mellowed out a little. And after marrying Albert Kloughn, and having more kids, she doesn't have the time to be perfect anymore. I could relate to this Valerie. And I finally feel like I have nothing to prove to her or to anyone else around me. I had a job that I was improving on. A man that I love who loves me back in the same way. And a family that was still, for the most part, close. I knew I was lucky. And for the first time I could appreciate the feeling.

"Wow," Valerie said, bringing me back to our conversation."Imagine not only being able to look at Ranger all day, I mean his body alone ..."

"Val," I said, breaking into her obviously lustful thoughts.

"Sorry," she said.

"No problem," I said."I can't blame you for looking."

"But imagine, having him say that he loves you, too ..."

This time she sighed.

I smiled."I don't have to imagine it," I said."I'm living it."

"Stop bragging," she said, smiling back at me.

"I'll try," I told her,"but I can't promise anything."

Grandma walked into the kitchen. She was dressed in an apricot colored track suit that almost matched her hair, and was wearing bright red lipstick. Grandma must have been at the Clip and Curl recently to have gotten the new hair and lipstick colors. Her hair changed colors now almost as often as Lula's does.

"Oh good," she said."You brought cake. What kind did you get?"

"German Chocolate."

"I peeked out the window when I was upstairs and saw Ranger's car in the driveway, but it's not there now. And neither is he. Where'd he go?"

Well, that explains the bright red lipstick, I thought."He got called into work," I told her."He'll be back to pick me up."

"I wish I had a chauffeur that looked like Ranger," she said.

Here we go again, I thought, but thankfully Grandma let it go.

"Dinner is just about ready," she said to us."You two can set the table while I get the chicken out. Don't forget the wine. I left it on the counter to breathe like they tell you to do in all them fancy magazines."

"I got the wine," I said. I loaded the silverware onto the stack of plates and grabbed the bottle on my way into the dining room.

Grandma brought out the chicken and Valerie followed with the potatoes and beans. My father sat down at the head of the table and dinner was on.

"This is strange," I said."Having dinner here without Mom around."

"She's only gone two or three days a week," Grandma said."But it's fun to be in charge of the house again."

My father shot her a glare that would have made any teenage girl proud.

"I'm happy for Helen," Grandma said, ignoring my father as usual."She's finally got her head out of everyone's business and started working on her own. I knew there was more of me in her than she showed."

That was hard to believe since Grandma and my mother were the exact opposite of each other, except for the fact that they both were_ always _in everyone's business.

Dinner was excellent. Grandma obviously hadn't lost any of her cooking skills while my mother was in charge. And the cake had been worth my confrontation with Bella. I was just cutting Ranger's share of it when I heard a knock at the door. I was guessing it was Ranger. Apparently, so did Grandma because she cut off my path to the door so she got to be the one that opened it. I rolled my eyes and followed behind her.

"Ranger!" Grandma said, as she opened the door to him."We missed you at dinner. But I'm just glad that you could make it here at all."

"Mrs. Mazur," he said, his eyes immediately found me."Babe," he said, his lips turning up a little at the corners.

I could hear Valerie, who was standing next to me, sigh. Again. I would have sighed to if I wasn't so busy watching where Grandma Mazur's hands were. I didn't want Ranger scared off on his first visit to my parents' house as the man I was in love with.

Ranger closed the door behind him, dodged Grandma, and walked over to me.

He brushed a kiss across my lips before nodding to Valerie."Valerie," he said.

She looked like she was close to giggling when Ranger said her name. Oh boy. I guess I could understand the impulse, though.

"Mr. Plum," Ranger said to my dad.

"Call me Frank," he said to Ranger, and offered Ranger his hand to shake."I'm glad you're the one that Stephanie's bringing around now. You may not be Italian, but you seem like the kind of man that can keep up with her. And, from what I hear, I won't have to worry about you stealing my cookies at dinner."

That earned my dad an eyeroll, too.

"Everything okay at Rangeman?" I asked. I don't know why I did since it was pretty much guaranteed that if Ranger was called the problem would be solved, but I asked anyway.

"Yes," Ranger said to me."Rangeman has a new account. What did I miss here?"

"Grandma's still got it in the kitchen. And the cake was amazing," I told him."I was just cutting a slice of it for you when you knocked. I was thinking I could tempt you into a bite of it."

"Not going to happen, Babe."

"I know that," I said to him."But I'll be enjoying myself when I try."

"Steph," Valerie said, following my dad into the living room,"what did I say about bragging?"

Ranger raised an eyebrow at me.

"Sorry, Val," I called out after her, ignoring Ranger's eyebrow."I guess since my ride's here, I should get going," I told Grandma.

"You don't have to rush off."

"We have an early morning tomorrow." That was true to a degree. Ranger got up early to work out and then he woke me up and hauled my ass down to the gym."We'll be back for dinner soon. Right, Ranger?"

"Sure, Babe," he said.

I got my cake from the kitchen, my bag from the living room, and waved goodbye to my dad and Valerie.

"Tell mom I said 'hi' when you see her," I said to Grandma.

"I'll pass it along," she said.

Ranger opened the door for me and we walked together down the sidewalk to Ranger's car. I settled myself into the passengers seat and Ranger got behind the wheel, turning the engine over.

"Everyone seemed relaxed at dinner," he said to me."Even about us."

"My mother not getting on everyone's case seems to have a calming effect on everybody," I told him."And no one has a problem with us aside from being a teensy bit jealous."

"Grandma Mazur?"

"Valerie, too," I told him."Albert apparently has a hard time expressing what he feels for Valerie. And she doesn't feel as appreciated as she should."

"That's not something you're ever going to have to worry about again, Babe," Ranger said, his voice serious."I'm not going to stop showing you just how much I love you and how grateful I am to have you in my life."

"You won't have to worry, either," I said, turning towards him."I may not be one hundred percent comfortable saying it, but I do love you, Ranger. More than I thought I could."

"Good to know, Babe."

He leaned over and kissed me before backing out of the driveway. As he drove us back to Rangeman, I thought back on the day that I had snuck into Ranger's apartment when I was hiding from the Slayers. And tonight I was being driven there by the man himself. Ranger has opened his apartment to me in the same way he had back then. The big difference was that I now got to share his space without hiding from anyone.

The day finally came a few weeks after Ranger had started working with me to test out what I had learned. The test came in the form of Chuck Linwood. Like Lula, he's been known to carry just about everything, had an obvious dislike of all women since his wife was found in bed with his best friend. She was later found with a bullet hole in her chest. A bullet hole which led to my having to go out after him. Well, I really didn't have to go out after him, since it was a Rangeman case, but I chose to anyway.

I had been working out with Ranger, and sometimes one of the guys, almost every day. Not only have I gained a little muscle tone, I've also gained a new confidence in my own abilities. Now I could speak my mind, and I could back it up, too. Not that I was Ranger or anything, but I felt I could handle my own if push came to shove. My newly acquired skills however weren't enough to keep Ranger from trying to protect me. Yes, I was going after Linwood, but I wasn't going after him alone. Ranger made that clear when he handed me the file to look over. He supported my decision to take on Chuck, but deemed him too dangerous for me to try a solo takedown.

"Everyone here at Rangeman goes out in two's," Ranger said to me."It's safer for everyone involved."

Yeah, right. Not safer for the skip, I thought.

"And you're definitely not going to be the exception to that rule."

"Ranger, I'm not asking to be."

"Good," he said."Because your asking wouldn't help."

"Has anyone every pointed out that you're a tyrant?" I asked him.

"Yes, but only one person lived afterwards."

I smiled."Me?"

"Yes," Ranger said."You can call me whatever you want, but it won't change the outcome."

"Can I call you the man I love?" I asked him.

"All day long, Babe."

I curled my arm around his neck and stood on tiptoes so that I was face to face with him."I love you, Ranger," I said. It really did become easier to say it as time passed.

"Love you, too, Babe."

Then he kissed me. It also became easier to say it after hearing Ranger say it right back to me, I thought to myself.

When I was one minute away from being a very_ 'happy' _woman, Ranger eased away from me and grabbed my bag from next to the door.

"Let's go get your guy."

I smiled again."I thought I already got him."

"You got one of them, Babe. Now we need to get the other one."

I laughed."Oh great," I said."I'm back to having two men in my life." Surprised that I could now joke about the Morelli/Manoso/Plum triangle.

"Only for today," Ranger said."If this one gets too friendly, he'll be eliminated."

I didn't know how to respond to that so I just took my bag from Ranger as I walked out of his apartment.

By the time we walked out of the elevator I noticed that while all Rangeman guys had partners, I had a parade. Okay, parade might be an overstatement, since it was just Tank and Bobby in an SUV waiting for us but still, four people for one guy seemed like overkill.

"I have you with me," I said to Ranger, looking over at the SUV,"why do I need Tank and Bobby?"

"Just a precaution, Babe."

"Precautions are good," I said."Especially with me." He wasn't implying that I couldn't accomplish this takedown, he just wanted me safe while I did it. I couldn't find anything wrong with his thinking. I didn't want anything happening to me, either. I had finally gotten to a good place in my life and I didn't want some idiot with anger issues to take it away from me. I felt like I was prepared for anything that could happen, but I wasn't going to be stupid about it.

"I'm ready to roll," I said to Ranger.

Ranger opened the passenger door and waited until I was buckled in before giving a nod to Tank and sliding behind the wheel of the Cayenne.

We drove across town to Chuck Linwood's last known address. The dilapidated house standing in front of us with gray/green shingles and peeling white trim, didn't look promising as a place that anyone or anything would be living in. Even if they were hiding out. Ranger parked on the street in front of the house and I could see the black SUV park behind us.

Ranger turned to me."This is your show, Babe," he said,"but I'm going to be with you at all times. If you feel like something's wrong at any point, you say the word and I'll take care of him."

"I think I can handle him," I said to Ranger,"but I like knowing that you'll be close if I need you."

"And I will be from now on."

I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to his.

"Go get him, Babe," Ranger said, when he pulled away from me.

We got out of the car and Ranger came with me to the front door while Tank and Bobby went around to the back side of the house. This was my takedown, but knowing that it was a Rangeman case, they were all going to make sure that we got the guy in the end. I couldn't fault them for that. I didn't want Ranger to be out any money if I couldn't catch this guy.

It didn't seem likely that anyone was home, but you never knew until you tried. I knocked on the door and, to my surprise, Linwood opened the door on my second knock.

Ranger was standing out of Chuck's view next to the door, so all of Linwood's hatred was focused on me. I really appreciated Ranger letting me do this on my own. Nothing against Joe or anything, but it was different having someone support what I'm doing. And to take the time to actually help me do it better.

"What?" Chuck asked.

"Bond Enforcement," I said to him."You violated your bond agreement and you need to come with me to the station to get rebonded."

"I don't think so," Chuck said.

He outweighed me by about sixty pounds, was at least four inches taller, and looked meaner than his mugshot suggested.

Ranger made a move to help me, but I shook my head at him. I was bringing this guy in. Ranger showed that he had faith in my abilities because he stayed where he was and didn't interfere. I knew he would if things got out of hand, but knowing that he trusted me to do this meant a lot.

"Look," I said to Linwood."You can do this my way or the hard way. You're choice."

"How about you leave right now and I pretend this never happened and you won't end up like my wife."

That sounded a little scary, but I wasn't about to back down. I lifted my hand that held the pepper spray at the same time Chuck grabbed a fistful of my shirt. Apparently Chuck didn't think I was much of a threat, because he didn't reach for a gun or anything equally as lethal. He just tightened the hand on my shirt and pulled his other hand back. Probably thinking that a good punch to the face was all that I needed as incentive to leave him alone. And I had to admit that really pissed me off. That he thought just because I was a girl, I couldn't knock him down and haul him in. Granted, that would have been true not that long ago, but things were different now. I was different. And 'ol Chuck here was about to find that out.

I concentrated on what Ranger had told me_."Look directly at the hand that's holding you and give a hard punch the back of it. You'll be free and will have a few seconds to get away or attack if you need to." _I, of course, went one step further. I gave Linwood's hand one solid punch that would have made the guys proud. Linwood let go off my shirt and I followed up with a direct hit to the middle of his forehead with the heel of my hand. And with a surprised look on his face that I'll never forget, Chuck crashed to the ground like a bad-tempered tree.

I was smiling as Ranger checked out Linwood and Tank and Bobby came up behind us. I'd done good. And I knew it.

"Proud of you, Babe," Ranger said, dropping a kiss on the top of my head.

"Yeah, Steph, we're impressed," Bobby said, while Ranger was cuffing Linwood."We've seen what you can do in the gym, but keeping your cool while being threatened is hard to do for a lot of people. Even if they do have training."

"He sort of pissed me off by thinking hitting me would get me away from him."

Tank had since forgiven me for giving him a hard time, and was now smiling at me."You taught him a valuable lesson," Tank said."He might think twice about trying to hit a woman again."

"Tank load him up," Ranger said."We'll be taking Mr. Linwood in."

I looked over at him."You're not going to have Tank and Bobby do it?" I asked him.

"You deserve full credit for this capture, Babe."

"It was only one capture, Ranger," I said to him. I still had a lot to learn.

"The longer you train, the better your captures will be. Don't sell yourself short, Babe," Ranger said."You now not only have luck on your side, you have techinques to catch skips without having to rely solely on it."

"I never thought of myself as someone who liked hurting people, but I kind of enjoyed that."

"Don't worry, Steph," Bobby said."We did, too."

By the time we made it back to the car, Tank had Linwood strapped into the Cayenne. Chuck was still a little out of it so the drive to the Trenton PD was quiet.

Carl and Big Dog were standing near the door talking when we walked in.

"Hi, Steph," Carl said. He looked at Linwood who was semi-conscious now."You helping Ranger out again?"

"No," I told them."I caught this guy myself." I wasn't sure if it was the shot to his forehead that knocked Chuck out, or if it was hitting the floor when he fell over after I had hit him. Either way, I guess I was responsible for the way he looked now.

"So tell us, Steph," Carl said,"how'd you get this guy. A knee to the balls again?" Carl asked.

"No," I told them calmly. I wasn't going to let them take away from my accomplishment."I smashed his hand and hit him in the forehead hard enough to make him crash to the floor."

Big Dog looked closely at Chuck."Shit, Steph," Big Dog said,"remind me never to piss you off. What are you on the rag or something?"

It always bugged me when guys said stuff like that. Why did men think only a woman's period is involved when she got mad over something stupid a man did?

"No, Big Dog," I said to him."I'm just on the top of my game."

"We can see that," Eddie said, hearing the last part of the comment as he was walking over. His eyes flicked to Ranger who was quietly standing behind me."Looks like you changed more than just your game."

I took a step back, wrapped my arm around Ranger's waist, and smiled up at him."I did," I said to Eddie without taking my eyes off of Ranger."And things have never been better."

"Damn there goes fifty bucks," Carl said.

My eyebrows shot halfway up my forehead."Care to explain that?"

"We had a pool going about how long it would take you to dump Morelli for Manoso," Big Dog said."Looks like neither one us is collecting anything this time. I was way off. I thought that you'd tough it out with Morelli a little longer. At least until the end of summer."

My smile faded at that. Ranger took a step forward, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm. I could feel the tension in his muscles. He wanted to stop Carl and Big Dog himself, but this was my fight.

"I'll take care of this," I told Ranger, and then got in Carl and Big Dog's personal space."You place one more bet, or start one more pool, on any aspect of my life and I'll shove your balls so far up your body you'll be sneezing DNA for weeks."

They both lost some of their color, and were struck momentarily speechless. I'd thank Lester for that threat later. I probably wouldn't actually do it to Carl and Big Dog, but it felt nice knowing that I could if they didn't knock it off.

"Are we clear guys?" I asked them.

They both gave me a strangled_ yes._ No doubt still wondering if they should cover themselves in case I decided not to wait.

I gave them one last Burg worthy glare and walked back to Ranger. I apparently earned the full-on Ranger smile with how I handled the situation. A lesser woman would have fainted when presented with that smile, but I was made of stronger stuff than that. I just smiled and used up a moment planning exactly what I'd do to him once we left the station.

Morelli chose that moment to walk into the station. He took one look at Ranger and I, and I saw the flash of pain in his eyes before he masked it.

"I knew he wouldn't miss his chance," Joe said to me.

There was no way he didn't know about Ranger and I, but this was the first time I'd seen him since that day in his living room. And it was also the first time he'd seen me and Ranger as a couple. Surprisingly, I couldn't sense any anger in his tone. Only resignation. Like he knew what was going to happen before I did. I thought back to the day I ended our relationship and he told me that if Ranger wasn't the reason I started changing my life, then he soon would be. Maybe Joe _did_ know exactly what was going to happen, and was helpless to stop it.

"Hey, Joe," I said. I was determined keep this friendly, and to have as few awkward moments as possible.

"Hi, Cupcake, Manoso," he said, including Ranger in his greeting.

"Morelli," Ranger said, putting one muscled arm around my shoulders.

I guess boundaries were being set. The tight smile on Joe's lips confirmed it.

"I'd ask how you are, but I can see how you are for myself," Joe said."Just so you know, Steph, I don't plan on never seeing you again just because you're with him now." He was talking to me, but his eyes were on Ranger, daring him to argue. Ranger didn't. He knew as well as I did that he had nothing to worry about. Morelli wasn't a threat to our relationship.

"I don't own, Stephanie," Ranger said, showing me exactly why I was in love with him."She's free to be friends with whoever she chooses, but know that if you try anything with her and make her at all uncomfortable then you'll be uncomfortable yourself for a very long time."

I heard some gasps and looked over to where Carl, Eddie, and Big Dog were still standing. I caught Carl's eye and he immediately nudged Big Dog.

"We'd better be going," Carl said."Big Dog and I have important things to do. Isn't that right, Big Dog?"

Big Dog looked at me and paled again. No doubt remembering the state of the guy I'd just brought in. I'd make good on my threat. And he knew it.

"Yep, we were just heading out," Big Dog said.

"I'll leave you guys alone to figure this out," Eddie said to me."If you need anything just give me a call." And he followed Carl out.

I turned back to Ranger and Joe. If only I could break this up as easily."Umm, guys," I said to get their attention."I'm not an issue between you anymore, so cut it out." I looked at Joe."You and I will always be friends," I said to him, before turning to Ranger."And you're the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. No dinner at Pino's will ever change that. I need you to trust me the same way I trust you," I said to Ranger, before facing Joe again."Joe, you and I can still be friends as long as you know that nothing more will ever come of it. I'm with Ranger now and nothing you do or say will change that fact. If you can accept that, and promise to not do anything to undermine my relationship with Ranger, then we can still hang out once in a while. But the second I feel like you're not moving on because of me then I'm going to stop seeing you. There's someone out there just waiting for you and you have to find her. I don't want you spending your life wishing for something that will never happen again."

"Who are you?" Joe asked."And what have you done with Stephanie?"

I laughed. Everything was going to work out for the best. I was sure of it now.

"I just grew up," I told him."Turns out we all have to do it at some point."

"You'd better deserve her," Morelli said to Ranger.

"I'll never deserve her," Ranger said."But I'm going keep her so happy that she'll never notice that."

"You're too hard on yourself, Ranger," I said, softly."You deserve only the best."

"And I've got her," he said to me.

"This is where I'm going to leave," Joe said."I may want you to be happy, but I'm not a masochist. I'll talk to you soon, Cupcake." He started to walk away, but stopped halfway down the hall."Oh, I forgot to mention, my mother and Grandma Bella said hello."

I was wondering how long it would take Joe to bring them up."You're grandmother may have said something, but it wasn't_ hello_," I told him.

"That's true, but you're the only one who showed no fear in the face of the eye," he said."She may not like you, but she has to respect you a little just for that."

"I can live with that," I said. I wasn't a fan of Grandma Bella's, either.

Joe disappeared into one of the offices and I reached out and took hold of Ranger's hand."Come on, let's get out of here," I said to him."We have our life to get back to, and I don't want to waste a minute of it."


End file.
